And the Yanks Have Arrived!

Ah, the best laid plans . .  . we were supposed to leave Columbus, meet "the kids" entourage in Newark, and fly together to London Heathrow.   In a scenario a bit like "Bridgegate" in New Jersey, someone decided that spring 2014 would be a good time to take one of the world's busiest airport (Newark) down to one runway.  That delayed us leaving Columbus by about 90 minutes and the wheels for chaos were set in motion.

As we exited the plane upon landing at Newark, the ticket agent was imploring us to "Run!  Run to the next gate - 83!"  Seeing we were several light years away, I asked a crusty old cart driver if he could ferry us and was met with an indifferent "I'm off the clock!" comment - thanks for that positive attitude.   But a wave of greenbacks under his nose changed his mind and he threw us into his cart and sped off for Gate 83.   The flight status monitors were supportive of our quest to get there on time, indicating "Maintenance Delay".  Almost there, and a flight attendant from Columbus who had joined us yelled "Stop!" and jumped off, saying that her info indicated it was Gate 125!   What a conundrum.

With precious seconds ticking away, we debated - 83 or 125?  Onward we elected to go and arrived at Gate 83 just to see the tailights of the maintenance-delayed flight
on which our kids were sitting . .  off on its way to England.  Then, back in the cart and the mad dash toward Gate 125. We got there and, as the last four to arrive found that the "Economy Plus" seats we paid extra for were, of course, occupied, mine by a young boy of about 5 from Norway who stared at me challengingly. 

For one brief shining moment, it looked like I might get a first class seat - one of those with the bed - and I intended to make it my birthday gift for Cheryl (today, April 25 is the day for her), but alas, they moved about 42 people around and we sat together in the Steerage section (remember the Titanic?) two rows from the very back of the plane.

After several hours of no sleep exacerbated by the young man across from me who felt the need to make at least 212 trips to the restroom, we landed in Heathrow.   One more disappointment was in store because our sole link to the kids - Cheryl's cell phone - decided that despite Verizon's assurances, it wasn't going to work . . . something in its hardware setting.  So, we didn't know if they were there, waiting on us, on the bus toward the hotel, or just what was happening.

Then our luck started to change.  First, Heathrow was incredibly orderly.  Our journey through Immigration actually moved quickly (unlike the two hour excursion we had last year when entering Russia for those faithful readers of this blog who recall that experience) - nothing quite like being in a first-world country, and one speaking English to boot! Our luggage actually showed up despite the earlier whack-a-mole game of which flight we were on, and we headed toward the door looking for that elusive man holding the sign that said "MACE".

And what to my wondrous eyes did appear, but Jeff Mace with a big smile and a welcoming hug!  The kids flight (83) had actually been delayed on the runway at Newark and had arrived only about 30 minutes prior to ours.   The guy holding the sign "MACE" actually was there for their arrival but had to leave before we got there.   The guy driving our van, though, correctly decided to stay and wait for us, so on we piled and off we headed for the 1 hour drive north to Wyboston Lakes, a beautiful conference center and family base for the wedding to come!

Jenny, Jeff and Leigh

Without a way to contact Jenny to let her know the Yanks had arrived, I sent her an e-mail on the hotel's free WiFi which is a screaming speed compared to the US (must be at least 100 Mbps or faster for those Geeks like me).  10 minutes later, she called our room and said "we're on our way over", and so a tearful reunion in the lounge followed.   Jenny has never looked better - trim, beautiful, and, as her mother said "dressed to the nine's!"

A quick shower, still no sleep, and then the party started in the lounge.  Anthony's lovely parents, Maggie and Simon, arrived, as did Simon's sister and husband (from California, but speaking with their not forgotten British accent).  Joining the fray were John and Claudia Gordon, Jenny's aunt and uncle from Cleveland, and Connor and Sarah Gordon, half-brother and sister. 



Your intrepid blogger, sampling the
 wonders of Guiness Stout, an Irish brew,
admittedly, in an English pub

Several Guiness' or other refreshments later, we closed our long period of sleeplessness with fish and chips and off to bed.  Woke up at 10 a.m. local time (5 a.m. EST) - a full 12 hours of sleep after 24 hours of no sleep.  Kids - Aaron, Melissa, Chloe the Wonder Girl, Jeff, and Leigh - are off for a visit to nearby Cambridge. I think they're hoping to get some of that "book learning" rubbed off on them.   I believe Mary Lee and Ray are joining them.  

Cheryl, the Birthday Girl, and I are relaxing, I'm eating a hot cross bun with butter (delicious I must admit), and writing the blog.  At 4 p.m. today we're off to Roxton Park (Anthony's home) for the rehearsal dinner and party to follow.   We expect more arrivals from Yanks Connie Melton and niece Becky and husband Stewart to bolster our ranks.